I once said that what Tamako Market lacked was romance, and that it didn’t make good on its potential by bringing real change to its characters’ lives. Now, with Tamako Love Story, they’ve done that. So the question becomes—did they succeed?

Another KyoAni slice of life comes to a close. Tears were shed and conclusions were had – or not, as was the case. There were some though, and some smiles as well, which is probably fitting for this show.

Finally, after 10 whole episodes, we have the one thing we’ve never seen before – a Tamako episode! With the “Tamako-sama” bomb dropped, all eyes are on her, and she doesn’t seem entirely comfortable with the attention.

Did Tamako Market just turn into a romcom? The subtext around Midori, Tamako, and Mochizou gets louder as Midori and Mochizou go head-to-head in a thinly veiled competition for Tamako’s affection. Come on you two, you’re not fooling anybody!

The Tamako Market team is really getting into it, with the fuwa fuwa and humour still spot on, but the character development and plot progression getting even more subtle and adroit. Also, Anko-hime, hng~

Valentine’s Day comes to the shopping district, bringing with it love, celebration, and sage words from a gentlemanly bird to a confused young maiden. Already this show is going in another direction I did not expect, and I couldn’t be happier.